I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to bicycle training wheels that are suitable for training young children. More particularly, the present invention relates to bicycle training wheel assemblies that mount beneath the bicycle frame and provide flexible auxiliary side wheels that balance the bike, react to shocks, and flexibly compensate for various bicycle positions during use.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Most children learn to ride bicycles with the assistance of outboard training wheels whose basic purpose is to stabilize the bicycle and prevent tipping. Most training wheel assemblies comprise a pair of spaced apart wheels disposed at the end of frame tubes that project downwardly and rearwardly from the bicycle frame on either side. The training wheels are usually smaller in diameter than the bicycle wheels. In use the training wheels may oscillate between positions above the ground and lower positions in ground contact. A variety of diverse frame and attachment means are known in the art. Some designs, for example, attach the training wheel frame to the bike's rear wheel axle. Some designs attach to other portions of the bike's rigid frame.
In my opinion known prior art devices do not perform safely. Many known devices that are not well built and properly designed, are unsafe. They do not stay in proper adjustment, they break easily, and bend or become deformed, even with relatively minor shocks or slight misuse. Many prior art training wheel devices are difficult to install, adjust and service. Many prior art devices use a spring to mount their frame tubes, which often causes excessive bouncing, which contributes to the loss of control.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,535 issued Oct. 7, 1986 with a bracket adjustably mounting a training wheel, and an upper portion with multiple, apertures for receiving the rear wheel axle of the bicycle. The configuration is designed to be secured to differently sized and configured rear forks associated with different bicycles.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,976,693 issued Dec. 20, 2005 discloses a bicycle training wheel frame with a stem whose upper end is connected to the bicycle frame, and left and right side tubes, connected to the stem lower end. The left and right side tubes are incapable of separately rotating about the lower end of the stem, but they can pivot about the front end of the stay tubes to place training wheels between the ground and the chain stay tubes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,000 issued Mar. 7, 1989 discloses a bicycle training wheel assembly attachable brackets that support spaced-apart pair of auxiliary wheels. A link is connected between each auxiliary wheel and the bracket and cables operatively attached between the front wheel of the bicycle and the link can move the auxiliary wheels into or out of ground contact
There are numerous problems with prior art designs such as those referenced above. Many are difficult to install or align. To be maximally stable, the wheel mounts must be resilient and should be capable of bending or swaying in response to predetermined limited forces dynamically encountered during use. While inherent flexibility of the wheel mounts is desirable to promote stability, such designs may tend to loosen the mounting brackets or hardware used to mount them.
An effective design must be resilient and flexible, and yet it must avoid springs. Each of the training wheels must be displaceable individually, to compensate properly for ground irregularities. In other words, to enhance stability, each training wheel must be capable of diverse movements without shifting the companion training wheel an impermissible degree.